Ammonia leak took 8 hours to find at C&S

By JENNY HALL
Staff Writer


HATFIELD -- The search for the source of leaking anhydrous ammonia at C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. proved difficult, a Hatfield fire
official said today, and took eight hours.
It wasn't until 3:17 a.m. today that the emergency -- which sickened 13 people and prompted a temporary evacuation in the area
around the company -- was declared over.
In all, residents of about a dozen homes on North Hatfield Road temporarily left after 7 p.m., when a leak of the hazardous substance,
used in refrigeration, was reported.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the cause of the leak, a spokesman said today.
Company officials declined last night to comment on the leak.
At no time were exposures of ammonia enough to cause serious injury or loss of life, Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Bardwell said today.
In all, 125 C&S employees were sent home at the request of the fire department. Truck drivers waiting to make deliveries or pick up
food at the plant were also sent away during the emergency.
Jim Motyka, of 60 N. Hatfield Road, said his wife was evacuated from their home after 7 p.m., when an officer came to the family's
home.
"We think very highly of the police," Motyka said.
"Our concern is, who monitors these refrigeration tanks over there?" Motyka asked. "Is it a town function? Is it a state function? Is it a
function of C&S?"
Cooley Dickinson Hospital activated its disaster protocol at 8:50 p.m. Thirteen workers from C&S underwent decontamination in a unit
set up outside the hospital by the Northampton Fire Department and staffed by firefighters and the hospital.
All patients were treated and released, the hospital said today. All were able to walk and none were critically injured.
They were treated for upper respiratory complaints and nausea, two common symptoms of ammonia exposure, the hospital said.
Bardwell said the Hatfield Fire Department had drilled in its response to an ammonia leak at C&S .
"Everyone worked together. We had practiced this event with the hazmat team last October, so we were all familiar with the drill.
Everything fell into place," he said.
Ellen Bokina, chairwoman of the town's Board of Health, did a walk-through at C&S around 3 a.m. today and declared the area safe.
The incident drew emergency workers from throughout the region.
Posted At : 1:33 PM. | Posted By : newsroom
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